As Bohemians Go

Puccini’s “cold little hand” cools our summer

Comments (0) By Robrt L. Pela Thursday, Jul 15 2010

The heck with Toy Story 3. Some of us know what an IMAX theater is really good for: Opera. And so, we’re flocking to AMC Desert Ridge (or one of five other local movie houses) on Thursday, July 15, to listen to Franco Zeffirelli’s classic production of Puccini’s masterpiece, La Boheme, as it’s broadcast like an old-time movie at varying times throughout the day.

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But it’s not a movie of any era -- this is a live performance recorded on April 5, 2008, and now being re-run in theaters across the globe, a high-culture trend that’s taken off in recent seasons across the country. So, in Glendale, one might hear Benoit recount his amorous adventures at AMC Arrowhead 14 or AMC Westgate 20 with IMAX; in Mesa, Rodolfo and Mimi can be heard singing about “gentle maidens” at the CineMark Mesa 16; and in lovely Phoenix, Musetta will bellow “Quando me n’vò” at the AMC Ahwatukee 24, the AMC Esplanade 14, or at AMC Desert Ridge’s IMAX theater.

Performed by a dream cast, this La Bo features Angela Gheorghiu reprising her Metropolitan Opera debut as Mimì, and colossal tenor Ramón Vargas as Mimi’s man, Rodolfo. Maestro Nicola Luisotti will conduct a superstar orchestra of symphony musicians.

Thu., July 15, 2010